Henry Hagg Lake

It has been a long and excruciating 26 days since I’ve been on a kayaking adventure. And today, I set out to enjoy a new environment! My journey took me 1.5 hours northwest from Albany to Henry Hagg lake, or Hagg Lake.

Hagg Lake is an artificial lake, which is an impoundment of Scoggins Creek. The lake is named after Henry Hagg, an Oregon dairy farmer who was active in local agricultural committees during the first half of the twentieth century. (Wikipedia)

If you’re traveling from south of Salem, take the Brooks/Gervais exit from I-5. The drive alone was spectacular. This back road route travels through thousands of acres of farm country. I saw so many different crops growing in abundance. It was truly a beautiful route!

Having never been to Hagg Lake, I chose ahead of time to embark to C-ramp at Scoggins Valley Park. It is a 2/3 lane boat ramp. Since I arrived early in the morning on a weekday, I didn’t have any problem using the boat ramp. However, if the boat ramp is busy, there are gravel areas along the shoreline on both sides of the docks, which you can use. (PS – there is a $7.00 parking fee)

As you look at the lake from the boat dock, going north (turning left from the boat dock) looked a lot greener and more intriguing. So, off I went! The north end of the lake is a no wake zone and perfect for kayakers!

One of the first things I noticed as I began my adventure was the vast amount of birds, ducks, geese, dragonflies, butterflies and Heron! I really felt like I was “with” mother nature. As I paddled along the shoreline, I came across several Heron and I was able to capture this great video. (Listen to the silence! It was so peaceful!)

Before I get too far ahead of myself, I want to share with you this map I found of Hagg Lake. As you can see from the map, there are small channels or waterways on the north end of the lake and those are where I went.

From the map above, you can easily see the channels I visited. The first one is at the top of the map where Scoggins Creek leads into the lake. I went clockwise on the map and the last one I ventured into was #32 on the map. I absolutely love kayaking down these narrow channels where others rarely visit. You just never know what you may see.

Each one of the channels were absolutely beautiful! They were filled with thick green vegetation, tall trees and the wonderful sound of the birds speaking to one another. These pictures show where Scoggins Creek dumps (today it trickles) into the lake.

Next year, I want to return much earlier in the year so I can see how differently everything looks with a higher water/depth level. But, despite today’s lower water level, everything was still so incredibly beautiful!

The two pictures above show where Wall Creek enters the lake. It was barely even a trickle, but beautiful nonetheless!

I absolutely loved traversing these channels. Everything was so incredibly green and gorgeous. While I was kayaking, I did take note that there were NO flowers. Sure, there was Queen Anne’s Lace and some other weeds, but no flowers. I was a bit shocked. However, there was enough for what all the birds and insects needed. If you look closely in the picture above to the left, you’ll see pictured in the middle a bright red dragonfly. I think this is called the Flame Skimmer???

If you take a moment to notice, you can see the signs of “water.” What I mean is that everything close to the water is very green, thick and growing very well. The further you travel away from the water, the drier it gets and the vegetation changes. I thought this was a great picture depicting such!

I mentioned earlier how low the lake is right now due to all sun and no rain. You can see signs of the rapid decline of water all along the shorelines.

When I see the lines in the dirt formed from the drop down in water, it makes me think a stairway has been created. At any rate, this is a great picture to illustrate just how low the lake gets as we move into the later months of summer.

And, of course, no visit to any waterway in Oregon is complete without a picture of our Canadian Geese.

They’re obviously used to people “gawking” at them because they only moved away from the shoreline, rather than flying away.

My trip to Henry Hagg Lake was perfect! Even though we’re still in the midst of summer, visiting during the week allowed for an even more enjoyable time. However, if you are only able to visit on a weekend, go early in the day. The park is open from sunrise to sunset.

I want to leave you with some beautiful pictures of the lake I took today. And of course, our beautiful weather made it perfect and scenic!

OH, one last item. For the second time this year, while kayaking, I found a cell phone abandoned (lost) in the water. Folks, we all love our cell phones. I take all of my pictures with mine. But, your phone should be connected to you so you don’t lose it. Since I capsized earlier this year and lost my phone in the depths of the Willamette River, I know what I’m talking about. This is the item I bought and I use it every time I’m on the water. Hint – get one or something similar.

Go visit Henry Hagg Lake – you won’t be disappointed!!!

2024 – Kayak Trip #32